Our Mission:

Urner Barry is a business publisher specializing in the timely, accurate and unbiased reporting of market news and quotations to clients in the poultry, egg, meat, seafood and related segments of the food industry through a variety of print and non-print media.

Over 150 years of success...

In 1857 Benjamin Urner, a successful printer in New York City, was being regularly commissioned to prepare various price circulars for consigned agriculture goods by the many merchants who made their living buying and selling items as they flooded into the city from around the world.

In 1858, Mr. Urner noted discrepancies in the circulars that he was printing and realized how difficult it must be for shippers to assimilate market appraisals which were often in variance with each other. This led him to the idea of publishing a single, objective market report and so, to the creation of the Producers’ Price-Current—later to be universally known as the Urner Barry's Price-Current.

In the early days of market reporting, it was possible for Mr. Urner to regularly visit primary markets located between Fourteenth and Canal Streets in New York City. While there, daily personal interviews could be conducted with merchants who would provide insight into what prices were actually being quoted for products ranging from Michigan Mercers potatoes to crude turpentine.

When Urner’s son, Frank, joined the team in 1876 followed by William C. Taber in 1882, the Producers’ Price-Current had already established itself as a professional success offering an objective, four-page weekly report on market conditions and quotes in an affordable fashion with a price of $1.00 for 52-weeks’ worth of Price-Currents.

In 1882, the trio formed the Urner Publishing Company and began publishing the Producers’ Price-Current as a daily circular. By this time the Price Current’s success was acknowledged throughout the industry and was recognized as the best source on New York Market prices and conditions. In 1888 Benjamin Urner served as president of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Meanwhile, in 1873, L. Frank Barry started the New York Daily Market Report, covering all produce markets and actually became the first such daily publication in the country.

For several years, Urner Publishing Company and L. Frank Barry and Sons successfully coexisted as separate publishing firms. However, keeping up with the demand for service in a rapidly-expanding nation became increasingly more challenging. Recognizing areas of mutual interest, the two publishers merged in 1895 to form the Urner-Barry Company, located on 173-175 Chamber Street in New York City.

The Urner-Barry Company would continue to provide daily market updates under the ownership of the Urner, Barry and Taber families until the mid 1960’s when the company started a new chapter in its already influential history.

1966 proved to be the year when the Urner Barry Company would establish the foundations it would need to continue its success in a world that was rapidly developing both technologically and financially.

Renamed Urner Barry Publications Inc, the company moved from its Chamber Street offices it had occupied for decades to a new home in Jersey City, NJ. In addition to a new location, Urner Barry partnered with Paul B. Brown Sr., Michael E. (Bud) O’Shaughnessy and John M. Carter as principals within the company.

Brown Sr., O’Shaughnessy and Carter brought with them decades’ worth of experience in the poultry and agriculture industries. Before signing on with Urner Barry, Paul Brown Sr., a Maryland native, worked for the states’ Department of Agriculture, and later with the USDA’s Market News Service with assignments in all major US cities. Maine native John Carter served as a Dairy and Poultry Market News Service reporter for the USDA before becoming a principal at Urner Barry. Bud O’Shaughnessy, meanwhile, was a poultry distribution manager for Swift & Co. in his native New York. Together, the three men brought a vast pool of industry contacts from around the country that would open Urner Barry quotations to a large, relatively untapped market.

The retirement of Frank E. Urner in 1974 marked the last time a descendant of founding father Benjamin Urner would be employed at the company his family helped build. Though retired, Frank Urner would live to see Urner Barry flourish for another 33 years well into the 21st century until his death on March 22, 2007.

Shortly after Frank Urner’s retirement, in 1976, Urner Barry headquarters was moved to its present location in Bayville, New Jersey in the heart of the scenic shore area of Ocean County. During this period, Paul and Bud were joined as partners by their sons Paul Brown, Jr., Rick Brown, and Michael W. O'Shaughnessy, while John M. Carter would retire in 1986. It was under the guidance of this ownership that Urner Barry's next historical milestone was realized.

Building on its leadership position in the field and the assembly of an expert management team Urner Barry has continued to expand its services. The creation of Comtell® Instant Market News in 1982 signaled the beginning of a significant paradigm shift in how the company would deliver, receive and view media content. In 1999, Urner Barry would partner with Seafood.com and Seafood.com News to deliver the most accurate, daily and pertinent seafood news to the industry.

Urner Barry has embraced 21st century technology with the creation of Comtell® On-Line, the most accessible, accurate and timely source for news, quotes and research in the meat, poultry, egg, pork, veal and seafood industries. Additionally, in 2000, Urner Barry partnered with Cattle-Fax in a new Global Connection initiative, forming Obsono LLC to produce the bi-weekly publication Market Insight offering, analysis and forecasts for the poultry and red meat industries.

While Urner Barry has remained focused on the future of its business, charging forward with online innovations, the company has remained faithful to its roots and stills offers a complete line of print media including books like NAMPS’ The Meat Buyers Guide and the Commercial Guide to Fish and Shellfish. Urner Barry also provides its customers with newsletters, directories, and price history guides highlight other aspects of the poultry, egg, seafood, and red meat industries. In 2006, the company launched Urner Barry’s Reporter a quarterly food service magazine offering the most interesting news and market insight across the food service industry.

Urner Barry continues to adapt and innovate its services and products to fit in an ever expanding and highly complex global food industry. With a strong history and promising future Urner Barry looks forward to another 150 years of investigating and reporting the protein markets.

Daily content provided fair and accurately ...

Urner Barry's market reporting roots date back to 1858 when Benjamin Urner first noticed the wide discrepancies in prices being reported for like or similar product and recognized the need for truthful, unbiased, and accurate price discovery. Since these humble beginnings, Urner Barry's Price-Current has been the standard medium through which buyers and sellers gauge fair market value for the product in which they are dealing. It became the recognized source by reporting market news and quotations without regard to rumor or unsubstantiated opinion. Urner Barry's Yellow Sheet, Seafood Price-Current and HRI Buyers Guide have since become the guidelines in each of their industry segments by following our founding principles.

So just how are Urner Barry's quotations established? Each trading day, both solicited and unsolicited information is gathered by our highly experienced market reporting staff. Buyers, sellers, and brokers are contacted throughout the day to ensure that our reporters are kept current on the trading levels as well as the market's potential direction and movement. All trading participants and their reported information are kept strictly confidential. Data collected includes, but is not limited to, what products have been traded, what products are being offered and by whom, the price at which product is being offered, what levels are being bid and by whom, shipping dates, and all other pertinent information which will aid in the finalization of our quotations. Sales must be verifiable, and the product must be of standard cut, weight, grade, packaging and/or trim and must not be distressed or offered or bought under distressed conditions.

The final quotes that our reporters arrive at each day are based only on sales, bids, or offers for cash terms. During a period of light demand or weak markets, we must consider what one can expect to pay for product based on supplier asking prices or, when the market is active or firm, we must look at what buyers are willing to pay based on bids despite the fact that short supplies have kept sales quite thin. The quote does not represent every transaction recorded, nor does it represent the high or the low, but rather the bulk of sale or the rule for that commodity, not the exception. Trades completed on a market day of ship basis are not considered for current market determination but rather as an indication of willingness to buy or sell at a quoted level during a specific time period. They are also used as an aid in determining available supplies that have been removed from the market as well as gauging demand which has now been filled. Both of these situations ultimately affect price through elementary supply and demand principles.

Comtell®

Comtell® On-Line is the best source for market news, quotes and research, giving users access to the largest historical price database for the poultry, egg, red meat, pork and seafood industries. Comtell® On-Line is a fully interactive and customizable information hub, providing charts, tables and graphs on any and all commodities in the industry. Additionally, Comtell® On-Line users can enjoy reading the latest headline industry news from quality sources. Featuring daily, critical analysis and commentary, written by a team of expert commodity market reporters, Comtell® On-Line is the ideal database suited for brokers, traders, sellers, producers, retailers, foodservice buyers and distributors to use for up-to-the-minute commodity information.

Foodmarket.com

The food industry’s best source for news coverage and market information, Foodmarket.com keeps all food sector professionals fully informed with the most timely and relevant international developments and updates in the egg, red meat, and poultry trades. Each day Foodmarket.com delivers comprehensive news stories in a clear, concise and easy-to-read format, allowing users to stay informed without taking time away from their busy schedules. Foodmarket.com offers Urner Barry’s premium Insider’s Reports, Weekly Hatch Report, National Feature Activity and HRI Buyer’s Guide making it the most cost-efficient, all-inclusive product that will guide you through current market conditions and help establish a template for future planning. From farm and feedlot to fork, Foodmarket.com is an invaluable site offering crucial information that no food industry professional should be without.

Foreign Trade Data

Urner Barry’s Foreign Trade Data provides exclusive, in-depth analysis and commentary on the latest seafood market import laws and news inside and outside of the United States. Regardless if it’s a Chinese exporter shipping tilapia to Jacksonville or a Seattle importer purchasing shrimp from Singapore; Urner Barry’s Foreign Trade Data keeps users privy of the latest changes in import rules and regulations with Gutting offering daily Trade Alerts full of daily legal analysis and commentary on the ever-evolving US seafood import landscape. Also available is valuable United States Customs data to create a comprehensive snapshot of the foreign seafood markets and how it influences what goes on inside our borders. Additionally, with exclusive access to Urner Barry’s Insider Reports, there is no better way to keep up-to-date on the markets from around the globe. Richard E. Gutting Jr. is an attorney with the law firm of Redmon, Peyton & Braswell LLP and has been actively involved in the regulation of seafood in the United States for over thirty years.

Seafoodnews.com

Seafoodnews.com is the premier source on the Internet for the most accurate, up-to-date seafood industry information. Market analysis, government coverage, business ventures and restaurant news are just some of the areas that Seafoodnews.com covers on a daily basis throughout the world. Using expert knowledge and premium sources to bring our subscribers all the knowledge they need, Seafoodnews.com is dedicated to being the best news outlet for any and all information related to the seafood industry.